Wichita eagle., 1887-04-22
4ai11 eagle
THE GREAT SPHINX.
INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF THE
WORK OF DISAGREEMENT.

The Sand Carried Away in Large Bias.
Notwithstanding Results from Appar.
entity Inadequate demonstrations Eek.
vations-Restorations of Roman Date.
The last occasion on which the Great Sphinx
was cleared down to the level on which the
paws rest was in honor Of the opening Of the
Suez canal in 1863 The ever drifting sands
had, however, reburied it almost to the throat
when Professor Maspero, during his last year
Of Office at Boulak, began again the work OF
disinterment. This work has now been going
On, somewhat Internationally, for more than
twelve months, and is at the present time in
active progress under the direction OF Pro
fessor Masperos successor, NJ. Grebaut A
tramway has been laid down from the Sphynx
to the edge of the Pyramid plateau, passing
close under the west face Of the granite build
ing popularity, though incorrectly, called the
temple 0, the Sphynx. Along this tramway
light trucks convey the sand to the point at
which their contents are discharged, the
trucks being loaded by Arabs of both sexes
and all ages, who carry the sand upon their
heads in large FAT baskets, ascending and de-
scending all day long from the excavations
below to the tramway above and vice versa
ASTONISHING RESULTS.
The means look crriousIy inadequate, but
the results are astonishing. Already the en-
tire fore part OF the great stone monster is
laid bare, and the hugo chest, the paws, the
space between the paws, the altar IA front or
them, and the platform upon which they
rest, are once more open to the light OF day.
Nor is this ALL Between the Sphinx and the
edge of the Pyramid plateau a vast space has
also been cleared, thus bringing to view fine
fight of steps some 40 feet in width. These
steps, which are described by Pliny, were I'M
covered by Caviglia in 1917, but have been
entirely lost TO sight for nearly seventy years.
A second fight Of steps and the remains OF
two Roman buildings were also found by
Caviglia, and viii again bs brought to light
il 81. Crebaut continues to work in this direc-
ton.
To the right of the Sphinx-that is to say,
in the direction OF the granite temple, to the
southwark, further excavation is in pro-
gress, the result OF which viii probably con-
firm the suI1nises of those who believe the
Sphinx to stand in the midst of a huge arti
fetal amphitheatre hewn out of the solid
rock This gigantic work would of course be
contemporaneous with the Sphinx itself.
WHICH fIElleble w ZIG 4Ay eiiiS
ages before the advent of Mena, the first king
of the first dynasty, and which Maspero con-
siders to be, if not actually prehistoric, at ell
events the Oldest monument in Egypt.
From the level Of the area below the great
flight of steps (which lead down, and not
up, to the Sphinx one now measures the
whole height Of the huge hurnan-headed
monster, whose battered countenance stands
out against the cloudless sky 100 feet above
BETWEEN THE PAWS
The space between the paws is thirty-hve
feet long and ton feet wide. This space was
anciently converted into q small sanctuary
lined with votive tablets, only one Of which,
the famous stella of Thothmes lV-yet re-
mains in stu The stella records how the
king, when upon one Of his hunting expedi-
lions, lay down to rest at midday in the
shadow Of the Sphinx. He there fell asleep,
and dreamed a dream in which the venerable
image coniured him to clear away the sand in
which it was nearly buried. Then the prince
awoke and snade silence in his heart" and
vowed TO do that which the god had COM
manded.
The paws Of the sphinx, as they now appear,
are a restoration of Roman date, being cased
in comparatively small slabs, and to some ex-
tent hollow underneath. The breast of the
sphinx has likewise been faced with slabs, ap-
parentIy in Roman times; and these slabs
have again been repaired by cutting away the
weathered surface and inserting a fresh fec
ing. Like the legs OF the CoIossi OF the Plain,
and those of the great statue of Aboo Slmbel,
tie paws Of the sphinx ore covered with tie
Greek scrawls Of early travellers; but these
gr7,fi-ti are mostly of a late period and SO
slightly scratched that few are legible
throughout Such as they are, however,
Professor Maspero has, it is understood, de-
voted himself to the ungrateful and difficult
task of iranslating them
Ii. Grebauts excavations are not limited to
the clearance of the sphinx only. Various
interesting tombs have lately been discovered
in the vicinity of the great pyramid, and to
the westward the face Of the Libyan cliff has
been reached where it forms the natural
boundary OF the Pyramid plateau. Some
good early rockcut tombs, with built fore
courts, have been found in the face Of this ,
cliff. in two of which the walled UP recesses
or secret chambers, called "serdabs," which
were constructed for the safe keeping Of
Itinerary portrait statues, are Yet intact with
their contcnts-London Times
Editor Grady at Home.